A woman is said to have been pricked with a needle at the festival in the Zuiderpark on Saturday. So far, one report has been filed, police said. “We do not rule out the possibility that there could be more. We ask people who know more about the incident, or who may have been victims themselves, to contact us.”
Recently, there have been more reports of people who say they have been pricked with a needle while going out and who suspect that they have been injected with drugs. Much is unclear about this phenomenon, called ‘needle spiking’. The police investigation must show whether this was the case at the festival in The Hague.
For example, according to the police spokesperson, it is not yet possible to say whether the suspicion of aggravated assault means that the suspect has pricked someone with a needle containing a substance. “We are still investigating that.”
In May, six people said they had been stung in Kaatsheuvel, leaving one woman unwell. There are also reports of needle spiking from Amsterdam, Alkmaar and Venlo. Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz of Justice called in a parliamentary debate on the phenomenon of alleged victims last month to always report the crime.
Police say people who believe they have been drugged should seek medical attention as soon as possible. The Trimbos Institute also recommends collecting your own urine quickly. Drugs disappear from the body over time and so there is a greater chance that traces of them will be found.